漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
清: pure, purify
Also: cleanse, exorcise, Manchu dynasty
氵 carries the meaning · 青 gives the sound
Five readings, and the words that use each
セイsei · on'yomi · in compounds
- 清潔なせいけつなclean
- 清純なせいじゅんなpure, innocent
- 清掃するせいそうするclean [v.t.]
- 清算するせいさんするliquidate, settle (an account)
ショウshou · on'yomi
- 清浄しょうじょうpure, clean
きよいkiyoi · kun'yomi · on its own
- 清いきよいclear pure noble
きよまるkiyomaru · kun'yomi
- 清まるきよまるbe purified or cleansed [v.i.]
きよめるkiyomeru · kun'yomi
- 清めるきよめるpurify, cleanse, exorcise [v.t.]
Special readingsThese words are read as a whole, not from the readings above.
- 清水しみずa spring, spring water
Also read シン, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)水 water, as 氵 (meaning) + 青 (sound)
Source: Wiktionary, 清 (rev. 93457493), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Water (氵) + blue/green (青). Water that is as fresh and clear as the blue sky it reflects, suggesting absolute purity.”
Connections
清 takes the 青 family's reading, セイ (sei).
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · qīng
Same form: 清 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 清 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 清 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin qīng most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.